The Seal Of Solomon And The Star Of David

The Seal Of Solomon And The Star Of David The Seal of Solomon (or Ring of Solomon; Arabic: خاتم سليمان‎ (Khātam Sulaymān) is the signet ring attributed to King Solomon of Israel in medieval Jewish tradition and in Islamic and Western occultism. It was often depicted in either a pentagram or hexagram shape; the latter also known as the Star of David in Jewish tradition. This ring variously gave Solomon the power to command demons, jinn (genie), or to speak with animals. Due to the proverbial wisdom of Solomon, his signet ring, or its supposed design, it came to be seen as an amulet or talisman, or a symbol or character in medieval and Renaissance-era magic, occultism, and alchemy. The legend of the Seal of Solomon was developed primarily by medieval Arabic writers, who related that the ring was engraved by God and was given to the king directly from heaven. The ring was made from brass and iron, and the two parts were used to seal written commands to good and evil spirits, respectively. In one tale, a demon, either Asmodeus, or Sakhr, obtained possession of the ring and ruled in Solomon's stead for forty days. In a variant of the tale of the ring of Polycrates from Herodotus, the demon eventually threw the ring into the sea, where it was swallowed by a fish, caught by a fisherman, and served to Solomon. By tradition, the Star of David has only 2-Dimensional overlapping (or intersecting) triangles, whilst the Seal of Solomon always has 3-Dimensional INTERWOVEN (or interlaced) triangles. The Sacred Seal Of Solomon And Its Symbols The Seal of Solomon ring is thought by some to have magical powers, and it originates in Jewish tradition. Nevertheless, the Seal of Solomon can also be found in later Islamic and Western occultism, as both of these adopted it from Jewish tradition. One source in which the Seal of Solomon is mentioned is in the Testament of Solomon . t has been claimed that the text written by Solomon himself, “Pseudepigraphic treatise on the forms and activities of demons and the charms effective against them.” provides account of certain experiences that the king had during the building of the Temple.of Solomon. Around the beginning of the Testament, the author provides a story to explain how Solomon received his Seal from God. In this story, Solomon notices that the young son of his master workman was growing thinner each day, despite being given double wages and a double supply of food. When the child was questioned, he told the king that a demon had been harassing him every day after sunset, “I pray thee, O king. Listen to what has befallen all that thy child hath. After we are all released from our work on the Temple of God, after sunset, when I lie down to rest, one of the evil demons comes and takes away from me one half of my pay and one half of my food. Then he also takes hold of my right hand and sucks my thumb. And lo, my soul is oppressed, and so my body waxes thinner every day.” Solomon then prayed to God for help, who answered the king’s prayers by sending him a magic signet ring which had an engraving of a pentagram on its seal, “And it came about through my prayer that grace was given to me from the Lord Sabaoth by Michael his archangel. [He brought me] a little ring, having a seal consisting of an engraved stone, and said to me: "Take, O Solomon, king, son of David, the gift which the Lord God has sent thee, the highest Sabaoth. With it thou shalt lock up all demons of the earth, male and female; and with their help thou shalt build up Jerusalem. [But] thou [must] wear this seal of God. And this engraving of the seal of the ring sent thee is a Pentalpha.” Using this ring, Solomon began to bring demons under his control, beginning with Ornias, the demon who had been tormenting the son of Solomon’s master workman. By questioning the demons whom he summoned, Solomon was able to learn their names, how they persecuted human beings, and how they could be countered. Additionally, the king was able to make these demons work for him. For example, Solomon commanded the demon Asmodeus to help with the construction the Temple, “As the Lord God of my fathers liveth, I will lay iron on thee to wear. But thou shalt also make the clay for the entire construction of the Temple, treading it down with thy feet.” The Seals of Solomon are still considered to be magical talismans attributed to the biblical King Solomon. They are purported to be extraordinarily powerful in Ceremonial Magic, and many different magical practitioners use them to this day.. The History Of The Star Of David The Star of David, also know as the Magan David (Shield of David), has been a symbol associated with Judaism for centuries. A stone bearing the Star of David in a synagogue in the Galilee dates back to the 3rd century. It is believed to have been used as a decorative design. A Star of David was used in the year 1108 in the Leningrad Codex, which is the oldest complete edition of the Hebrew Bible in existence. The term, Magan David, was used as early as the 11th century as a name for the God of Israel,where God is compared to a shield in the divine protection of King David. A 12th century text, Eshkol ha-Kofer, a work on the Ten Commandments, refers to the Shield of David. Coins found in the 13th century bear the Star of David. The Star of David was used in a medieval Tanakh manuscript from 1307 in Spain. A Siddur dated 1521 from Prague includes a large Star of David on the cover with the phrase, "...He will merit to bestow a bountiful gift on anyone who grasps the Shield of David."The

The Star Of David In The Bible There is also a Biblical reason why the hexagram has been called a star and it concerns a certain, obscure prophecy found in the Book of Numbers. Keeping in mind that this was written long before King David was ever born, the relevant verse talks about an unknown future leader of Israel who will rise to power and go on to defeat the traditional enemies of the Israelites- the Moabites for example. This future hero is metaphorically described as ‘a Star’ which ‘shall come forth from Jacob’, obviously meaning a yet-to-born descendant from the one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Because of the importance of the Davidic Kingdom, quite a few scholars claim this passage from Numbers should be seen as a direct reference to the later military success and subsequent rule of King David. Indeed, David's official founding of the Kingdom of Israel in Jerusalem was the first event of extreme significance which had occurred in Israel since the time period recorded in the Book of Numbers. Yet the question remains as to why the hexagram, rather than David himself, is the ‘Star’ mentioned in Scriptures. The best, and probably only correct answer to this is that the original Star of David served as his personalized signature- comprised of two triangular Hebrew letters written on top of each other with one of them turned upside down. He also used it as a battle insignia painted on the shields of his fellow Israelite soldiers as a symbol of divine protection. In short, the hexagram was simply a uniquely clever way David wrote the first and last initials to his own name. Therefore, the claim that the six-pointed hexagram used for David’s name was also a perfect symbolic representation of the Biblically prophesied ‘Star’ of ‘Jacob’ happens to be fairly logical, at least in a metaphorical sense. Also, because the Bible just so happens to be filled to the brim with metaphors, this legendary explanation may indeed be the real truth behind the origins of the six-pointed Star.

Symbolism Of The Star Of David The Star of David also represents the Seven Days of Creation and match each other with Mathematical precision. the six outer triangles being from 1 to 6 and the inner hexagon being the 7th The star of David is a two dimensional version of a the star tetrahedron, Merkaba (3-dimensional Star), The Merkaba steps down source energy into the physical and is an invocation of the phrase “as above, so below”. This six sided figure symbolizes that God rules over the universe and protects us from all six directions: north, south, east, west, up, and down with the middle - the hexagram - providing the spiritual dimension. The Star of David symbol helps remind us that despite our efforts to accomplish in this world, just like God decided that King David would be successful in defeating armies much greater then his own, so too will God help us accomplish our goals. This is why we say, “Blessed are you God, Shield of David” in the third blessing recited over the reading of the Prophets every Sabbath. In Judaism the Star of David symbol provides one of most simple, yet comprehensible, ikons used to represent such concepts as Heaven and Earth, God and Man, Soul and Body, Material and Spiritual, Mountain and Valley, etc. Throughout the Middle Ages, many a Christian Gentile, especially the more learned among them, understood this symbol as, not only representing a unity of opposites, such as the elements of Earth and Air, or Water and Fire, but also as an expression of complementary concepts, much like the ebony and ivory keys to a piano which, when played correctly and by using the correct combinations, was capable of creating something beautiful- like the Latin Mass at its finest and most profound.

The Christian church called the symbol as the Star of Creation, or the Creator’s Star,which again stands for the 6 + 1 = 7 days of creation, as per the Creation story in Genesis 1:1-27. With the forming of the State of Israel in 1948, the flag of Israel was officially adopted. At that time, the Star of David became more than the symbol of the Jewish people, it became a symbol of the State of Israel proclaimed on May 14th 1948. The Star Of David And Zionism The Star of David became officially associated with Judaism when it was chosen as the symbol to appear on the flag at the First Zionist Congress in 1897. At that time, it became the symbol of the Jewish people, Zionism, and the Jewish communities throughout the world. David Wolffsohn designed the flag for the First Zionist movement, which became the flag for the State of Israel when it became a country in 1948. He wrote, "At the behest of our leader Herzl, I came to Basle to make preparations for the Zionist Congress. Among many other problems that occupied me then was one that contained something of the essence of the Jewish problem. What flag would we hang in the Congress Hall? Then an idea struck me. We have a flag —and it is blue and white. The talith (prayer shawl) with which we wrap ourselves when we pray: that is our symbol. Let us take this Talith from its bag and unroll it before the eyes of Israel and the eyes of all nations. So I ordered a blue and white flag with the Shield of David painted upon it. That is how the national flag, that flew over Congress Hall, came into being."

The Holocaust And The Star Of David During the Holocaust, the Jews of Nazi-occupied Europe were ordered to wear a yellow Star of David, with the word, "Jude," - Jew, to identify the Jews. If a Jewish person was seen in public without the Jewish Star, severe punishment or death would occur. The wearing of a Jewish Star was also an act of defiance by those who were not Jewish, but who defied Hitler and his orders. When the Jews of Denmark were ordered by the Germans to stitch a yellow Star of David to their clothing or face severe punishment or death, the King of Denmark, who was not Jewish, declared that he would be the first Dane to wear that yellow star and would continue to do so until this threat to his people was removed. The Star Of David Meaning And Kabbalah In Kabbalah, the two interlocking triangles represent the reciprocal relationship between man and God. Good deeds are represented by the triangle pointing up to God and God reciprocates by allowing holiness and beneficence to flow towards us. When a Star of David is worn on jewelry, it is considered to help us feel like one is walking with the protection of God and as a reminder of his presence.